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The legal background of this case from Maryland must have something to do with the weird result so far: "[Maryland Child Protective Services] officials have sai

The legal background of this case from Maryland must have something to do with the weird result so far: "[Maryland Child Protective Services] officials have said they are guided in part by a state law that says children younger than 8 must be left with a reliable person who is at least 13. The law addresses children locked or confined in a building, dwelling, motor vehicle or other enclosed space, but does not mention children outdoors on a walk." My state, Minnesota, doesn't appear to have such a law, and it doesn't appear to have CPS officers who would give such a crazy interpretation to a comparable law. I have certainly had my children walking all over my neighborhood (a full mile from my house in either of two directions, for shopping or for trips to the library) when the oldest in the party was ten years old, for most of the last decade. It is very routine for my children to be out walking in our neighborhood, even during school hours, as we are a homeschooling family. This story is news in part because it is very unusual. AFTER EDIT: Other reporting on this same story, with varying emphasis on other details: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/02/parents-investigated-letting-children-walk-alone/24265981/ http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/02/parents... http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/local/maryland/2015/03/02/free-range-parents-fight-child-neglect-ruling/24287953/ http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/local/maryland/2015/03/02/fr... https://ca.shine.yahoo.com/-free-range--parents-under-investigation-for-child-neglect-will-appeal-cps-decision-143030305.html https://ca.shine.yahoo.com/-free-range--parents-under-invest... A letter to the editor of the local paper reporting the story points out that children can be required to walk that far to school in the same state: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/children-were-caught-walking-at-the-wrong-time/2015/03/03/9c2d2962-c1b7-11e4-a188-8e4971d37a8d_story.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/children-were-caught-...

schoen 12y ago
I thought this map http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-462091/How-children-lost-right-roam-generations.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-462091/How-children-... (which was created in an earlier round of reporting on this topic) was quite impressive. It shows, on a single map, how far each generation of children in a particular family was allowed to walk by their parents. (Spoiler alert: there's a decrease by factors of 6, 2, and 3 in successive generations.)
- spinlock 12y ago
  yeah, my grandparent used to put my dad on a 50 mile bus ride to stay with his grandparents during the week. we used to play outside -- probably 2 mile radius -- all the time.
- nitrogen 12y ago
  It would help if we started using density-adjusted distance units [1]. Possible example unit: if there are 10,000 people per square mile in a given area, then one mile could be sqrt(10000), or 100 people. But if there are 100kp/sq.mi., then one mile equals ~316 people. So the question is, how far are children allowed to wander in units of people passed? Alternatively, how many doors can children pass within their permitted radius? [1] I also think this would be useful for comparing commute times.
  - schoen 12y ago
    That's an interesting calculation. People might have different intuitions about whether higher density makes the kids safer or less safe.
bmelton 12y ago
Just for clarification, the "children younger than 8 must be left with a reliable person who is at least 13" is an attachment to a law that attempts to define the regulations for who is and is not allowed to be considered valid as a babysitter. I know this because my own daughter who has been responsible for years, but only recently turned 13, investigated the matter herself when she was asked to babysit a child while my wife spoke at a conference (and the mother of the child attended said conference) in an adjoining room. I explained that the situation was a little bit different in that there were plenty of adults one room over, so by the letter of the law, the children weren't being left "at home alone", as the law aims to prevent against, but that she was probably violating the law by not having the required business license and insurance required, which is necessary in Maryland for caring for even a single child.
- m_mueller 12y ago
  Your daughter seems like a great child who can think for herself and is both curious and careful. Kudos!
  - bmelton 12y ago
    Thanks! It was a surprise. I had Googled the law, just to know, and when I asked her if she was comfortable with the job (it was her first pseudo-babysitting gig), I was shocked that she had also Googled it as well. It is indeed a source of pride though that her an I often have conversations on serious/complicated matters (law, politics, the Constitution, computer science) and that those conversations are increasingly less one-sided.

schoen 12y ago

I thought this map http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-462091/How-children-lost-right-roam-generations.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-462091/How-children-... (which was created in an earlier round of reporting on this topic) was quite impressive. It shows, on a single map, how far each generation of children in a particular family was allowed to walk by their parents. (Spoiler alert: there's a decrease by factors of 6, 2, and 3 in successive generations.)

spinlock 12y ago
yeah, my grandparent used to put my dad on a 50 mile bus ride to stay with his grandparents during the week. we used to play outside -- probably 2 mile radius -- all the time.
nitrogen 12y ago
It would help if we started using density-adjusted distance units [1]. Possible example unit: if there are 10,000 people per square mile in a given area, then one mile could be sqrt(10000), or 100 people. But if there are 100kp/sq.mi., then one mile equals ~316 people. So the question is, how far are children allowed to wander in units of people passed? Alternatively, how many doors can children pass within their permitted radius? [1] I also think this would be useful for comparing commute times.
- schoen 12y ago
  That's an interesting calculation. People might have different intuitions about whether higher density makes the kids safer or less safe.

bmelton 12y ago

Just for clarification, the "children younger than 8 must be left with a reliable person who is at least 13" is an attachment to a law that attempts to define the regulations for who is and is not allowed to be considered valid as a babysitter. I know this because my own daughter who has been responsible for years, but only recently turned 13, investigated the matter herself when she was asked to babysit a child while my wife spoke at a conference (and the mother of the child attended said conference) in an adjoining room. I explained that the situation was a little bit different in that there were plenty of adults one room over, so by the letter of the law, the children weren't being left "at home alone", as the law aims to prevent against, but that she was probably violating the law by not having the required business license and insurance required, which is necessary in Maryland for caring for even a single child.

m_mueller 12y ago
Your daughter seems like a great child who can think for herself and is both curious and careful. Kudos!
- bmelton 12y ago
  Thanks! It was a surprise. I had Googled the law, just to know, and when I asked her if she was comfortable with the job (it was her first pseudo-babysitting gig), I was shocked that she had also Googled it as well. It is indeed a source of pride though that her an I often have conversations on serious/complicated matters (law, politics, the Constitution, computer science) and that those conversations are increasingly less one-sided.